![]() “He bethought him of a crafty ruse and reversed the marks of their hoofs, making the front behind and the hind before, while he himself walked the other way. From this plan, he began to be titled the trickster, or mêkhaniôtês in ancient Greek: He also cleverly thought of a plan to confuse Apollo when he came looking for the oxen. Still a babe, Hermes found the oxen and began to drive away 50 of them. His resourcefulness with his activities earned him the title “Hermes polytropos” which means “many-turning” or “wily”. With trickery in his heart, Hermes continued on to find the oxen of Apollo. Hermes the Trickster Hermes (Mercury) with lyre and caduceus, by anonymous, c.1770, via At the touch of his hand it sounded marvelously and, as he tried it, the god sang…”įrom this myth, Hermes became Hermes kharmophrôn, or the “Heart-Delighting” as he brought forth wonderful music to the ancient Greeks. But when he had made it he proved each string in turn with the key, as he held the lovely thing. Also he put in the horns and fitted a cross-piece upon the two of them, and stretched seven strings of sheep-gut. He cut stalks of reed to measure and fixed them, fastening their ends across the back and through the shell of the tortoise, and then stretched ox hide all over it by his skill. “As bright glances flash from the eye, so glorious Hermes planned both thought and deed at once. Lyre of Hermes, a recreation by Luthieros, via This ancient instrument was called the lyre. He took the tortoiseshell and fashioned it into one of the first-ever stringed instruments. In this instance, his mind lit up with an inventive idea. However, on his way to the oxen, Hermes’ attention was distracted by a tortoise on the mountain. At this time in Greek mythology, his half-brother Apollo was the herdsman of the gods. He immediately began to devise a way to steal his brother’s sacred oxen. While Maia was sleeping, Hermes crept out of his blankets he was a fast-maturing youngling god. “ of many shifts, blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods…” ( Hymn to Hermes showing the many epithets and titles of Hermes) God of Thieves Hermes, by Louis-Pierre Deseine, c.1749-1822, via the Louvre Without his mother’s watchful eye, he began his first steps of mischief. Hermes enjoyed playing the pipes, much like the god Pan of the Wild, who also lived in Arcadia.Īfter giving birth to Hermes, Maia wrapped him up tightly and laid him to rest. Due to his birthplace, the god Hermes often has the epithet “of Cyllene” or Hermes “of Arcadia”. She was a shy goddess and retreated from the company of the gods. Maia lived in the cave or mountains of Cyllene, which was in Arcadia, in the northern Peloponnese of Greece. Hermes (Mercury) seated on a tree stump, by Ferdinand Gaillard, 1876, via the British Museum “Muse, sing of Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia, lord of Cyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, the luck-bringing messenger of the immortals whom Maia bare, the rich-tressed nymph, when she was joined in love with Zeus.” ( Hymn to Hermes) According to myth, Zeus had a secret love affair with Maia, and from their union, Hermes was born. Zeus was the king of the gods and notorious for falling in love with beautiful men and women. Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades, who were the nymphs of the constellations. ![]() ![]() Hermes: Son of Maia and Zeus Mercury inventing the caduceus, by Jean Antoine-Marie, 1878, via Images D’Art ![]()
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